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The Supreme Court on Monday made a prima facie observation in connection with the existence of a ‘huge racket’ in the State of Tamil Nadu which was behind issuance of fake caste certificates.
The court made this remark while examining several cases related to caste certificates issued to thousands of individuals, falsely identifying them as belonging to the Hindu Konda Reddis community, which is recognized as a Scheduled Tribe in the state.
Widespread Issuance of Fraudulent Caste Certificates
In Tamil Nadu, the issue of caste certificates has become a major concern, with a significant number of them being issued fraudulently. This growing problem has raised alarms and is being closely examined.
The court stated that, for now, it is not making any direct accusations, but it appears that a large-scale scam is taking place.
A bench consisting of Justices JB Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan was hearing multiple petitions related to caste certificates issued to several individuals, falsely identifying them as members of the Hindu Konda Reddis community, which is recognized as a Scheduled Tribe.
To address the issue, the court directed a State Level Scrutiny Committee to investigate the authenticity of these certificates and submit a report. The Court will then use this report to make a final decision on the matter.
In one of the cases, a woman claimed that she belonged to the Reddis Community and applied for a caste certificate for her son.
However, after an investigation by the Revenue Divisional Officer, her request was denied.
Background Of The Case
Previously, the Madras High Court ruled in her favor and directed that a State Level Scrutiny Committee should determine whether her family actually belongs to the Reddis Community.
The Tamil Nadu government challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, which granted a temporary stay on the High Court’s order last year.
Last week, the Supreme Court modified its temporary order to allow verification of the caste certificates.
It instructed the State Level Scrutiny Committee to submit a report within 6 weeks on the authenticity of these certificates. Once the report is submitted, the court will review each case individually and make a decision based on its findings.
The court stated that it wants to verify whether these caste certificates are genuine and understand how thousands of people in the area managed to obtain them.
It also emphasized that the Committee must conduct a fair, transparent, and unbiased investigation.
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